Stanley Matthews is best known for his crucial role in Blackpool’s 1953 FA Cup victory over Bolton, a match often called “the Matthews Final.” He was the first footballer in Britain to be knighted, played in 54 international games, and was the first to win the European Footballer of the Year award in 1956. In 1962, he went back to Stoke and kept playing until he was fifty.
The 1953 FA Cup final, also known as the Matthews Final, was the eighth to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War. The football match was contested between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, with Blackpool winning 4–3, equalling the record for the highest scoring FA Cup Final which had been set in the final of 1890. The match became famous for the performance of Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews, after whom it was nicknamed. It was the third FA Cup Final (after those in 1890 and 1894) to feature a hat-trick, scored by Blackpool’s Stanley Mortensen. Blackpool were making their third FA Cup final appearance in six years having been losing finalists twice, in 1948 and 1951.
In February 2010, the boots worn by Matthews in the match were auctioned at Bonhams in Chester for £38,400, to an undisclosed buyer and in November 2014 Matthews’ winning medal was sold for £220,000. The match ball fetched £5,250 in 2018.
Bloomfield Road, just a short walk from his pub, is where Blackpool Football Club plays, and Matthews wore their famous tangerine shirt there. His amazing body swerves, fantastic ball control, and accurate passing constantly challenged defenders. Matthews joined Blackpool in 1947 from Stoke, where he had started his professional career in 1932. In 1948, he was named the first English Footballer of the Year and played in three FA Cup Finals for Blackpool.
The Duke of Edinburgh shakes hands with Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews on the pitch before kick off in the Cup Final of 1953.
1953 FA Cup Final Bolton Wanderers v Blackpool. Stanley Mortensen scores the equaliser for Blackpool during the FA Cup Final at Wembley. The ball deflected off of Hassall and into the net. 2nd May 1953
Stanley Matthews greets the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the stands.
For the first time in history the famous Blackpool Tower is introduced to the F.A. Cup as the team drive with difficulty along the promenade from end to end on 4 May 1953.
